Photos: The evolution of Soundset
May 22, 2019
A skateboard suspended in mid-air; Lizzo and her Big Grrrls twerking onstage; Doomtree's members clutching microphones in a crowded tent. These are just a few of the images that showcase the range of activity encapsulated in Soundset. Over the past two decades, Soundset has grown from a Lake Street warehouse party to one of the largest hip-hop festivals in the country.
This year's Soundset takes place on May 26 at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. But the festival hasn't always looked like it does today.
After assembling a line-up of hip-hop acts for a warehouse party in 1997, and then hosting a weekly Soundset showcase at First Avenue, members of Minneapolis indie label Rhymesayers Entertainment hosted the first Soundset festival in May 2008. The festival has changed locations over the years, from the parking lot outside Minneapolis's old Metrodome, to Canterbury Park in Shakopee, and now the State Fairgrounds outside St. Paul.
Soundset has booked some of hip-hop's biggest names, catching many artists before they catapulted to fame. Past performers include Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Lizzo, just to name a few. But even while hosting national acts, Soundset has always showcased Minnesotan artists, from Brother Ali to Doomtree.
Soundset isn't just a music festival — on top of booking dozens of musicians, the festival also features live painting, skateboarding, b-boy and b-girl dance battles, and a car show. Some years have brought rain, others sweltering heat, but each May Soundset packs in a crowd to experience one full day of music and hip-hop culture. To take a look back at Soundset's evolution, we put together a photo gallery of some of the festival's most memorable moments.
This photo gallery is a bonus feature of The Current Rewind, a brand-new podcast putting music's unsung stories on the map.
